


what’s new pussycat?

by kendrasaunders



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 16:10:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kendrasaunders/pseuds/kendrasaunders
Summary: charlie gets zari a cat. that's the fic.





	what’s new pussycat?

**Author's Note:**

> listen @pirateygoodness triple dog dared me to use this title and like... i can't say no to that so here we are

There is a ziploc bag taped to Zari’s is a cookie shaped like a cat’s paw. Gingerbread, from the look of it, with red icing piped as the toe beans. It’s food, the best kind of surprise, and she’s pleased enough with that alone that she almost doesn’t notice the note next to it.

The handwriting is messier than Sara’s, an accomplishment on it’s own, but not quite muddled enough to be Mick’s. It reads, “Study?” with a little “:3” in the bottom corner, and Zari can’t help but get the feeling she’s being made fun of.

She pulls the note and the cookie off her door, rolling her eyes and deciding that if Charlie wants her attention cookie-badly, she’d give her like, five minutes. Zari takes the cookie out of the bag and crumples the plastic, sticking it in her pocket to toss later. She eats with the delight of having been gifted a gingerbread cookie, which is just kind of delightful and makes her chest feel warm.

Since... it’s a good cookie. Like sure, it’s from Charlie, no one else would make that many cat jokes at once, but that doesn’t make it extra-special or good or anything. It’s just that she likes cookies. A lot. Gingerbread especially. 

She wipes off a bit of red icing with her thumb, brushes her hair out with her free hand to make sure there’s no crumbs. 

And she could open the conversation with anything, really, like a  _ “So what did you need?” _ or  _ “What’s up?” _ or even,  _ “What’s shaking?” _ No. Not that last one. But the first two were sufficiently casual enough, and instead Zari chooses to enter with, “Your cookies are amazing.”

Which. Is just too fond for where they are right now. 

And that is in no small part by Charlie making a face at her, exaggerated and flirtatious. She’s sitting on the desk, like she always is, incable of sitting in a chair, and says, “My cookies?”

“The gingerbread,” Zari says, taking care to emphasize how ridiculous she thinks it is that Charlie would even  _ pretend  _ to flirt with her. “You make good gingerbread.”

“Oh, psh,” Charlie waves her hand. “I don’t know how any of that works. I had Gideon make that up for you. Figured food was the best way to get your attention.”

She is correct. She doesn’t need to announce it, though. “Oh,” Zari says. “Okay.”

“I mean, it’s cool,” Charlie says, crossing one leg over the other. “That you. Like it. I’m glad that you do.”

“Me too,” Zari says. She looks at the cookie, because it’s not Charlie’s long, long, very long legs. “So,” she continues. “What’s shaking?” Shit.

“Well, I-” She bounces her foot. “I do, you know. Feel.” She pauses.

“You feel?” Zari says. “Are we celebrating?”

The issue with bantering with Charlie is that she always seems amused by a jab, like she respects the nature of teasing, or something. She gives a small chuckle, and looks away. “I feel badly,” she says. “About everything that uh, happened. Mostly the cat thing. The puppet thing seemed fun for you lot.”

“It wasn’t,” Zari offers. And Zari would reassure her, but that would mean she’d have to give up this little bit of pissed off she’s still holding on to.

“Okay, whatever,” Charlie says, and Zari assumes the moment of reflection is gone. “But I- I wanted to make it up to you.” And she meets Zari’s eyes, worrying at her lip.

She’s going to offer sex. She’s going to offer sex, and Zari’s not going to say no, and it’s going to become a  _ thing- _

Charlie picks up that cursed, bright pink cat carrier from the desk chair, and puts it next to herself. Zari feels a small bubble of resentment form in her chest, and it pops just as quickly, which she hadn’t been expecting. She hates seeing the thing, sure. But she actually, really knows that Charlie isn’t going to hurt her.

“You are…” Charlie considers her words. “Good.”

That hits Zari right in the sternum and cracks it clean in half. It’s fine. “You think I’m good?”

“I wanted to get you something that I thought… reflected that,” Charlie says. “Since it’s your human holiday season.”

“I don’t uh-” Zari can’t even look at the carrier anymore, she’s so absolutely focused on Charlie. She’s never seen her willing to be this genuine. It softens her in ways that chip that little bit of resentment into smaller and smaller pieces. “I don’t observe Christmas. Or Hanukkah.”

“But everyone likes presents, right?” Charlie says. “And I did think very long and hard about this.”

“About me,” Zari says.

“Um,” Charlie says. “About you- You and your present.” She opens the carrier. “Which is-” She looks in, and frowns. “Get up, you old bag. Big show. First impressions. All that!”

“Charlie,” Zari says, with no small amount of caution. “What’s in there?”

“Hold on,” Charlie says, with her classic and endearing kind of exasperation. “She’s being difficult.”

_ “She?”  _ Zari asks.

“Get!” Charlie sticks both arms into the carrier. “Get up!”

There is a sound from within that is an unmistakable meow, and Charlie is taking a grumpy looking tuxedo cat out of the carrier and cradling it in her arms. 

“Holy shit,” Zari says. “Is that a cat?”

Charlie looks at the cat, then at Zari, then back at the cat. “Do humans have different kinds of cats?” Charlie asks. “Is this not right?”

“No, it’s- She’s-” Zari runs her hand through her hair, which will buy her enough time to figure out how to react to this. “You got me a cat?”

“Her name is  _ Pearl, _ ” Charlie says. “And she is  _ eleven.”  _

Oh no. She’s elderly. Zari has to love her. “Pearl?” she manages, like it aches for her to say. “You can’t- I can’t-” There’s a message, here! “You shouldn’t give animals as gifts, Charlie.”

“Well, I figured if you didn’t like her, I’d take her,” Charlie says. “Did a well enough job with you, thank you very much.” 

“You didn’t-” It’s not worth finishing that sentiment. “So you got yourself a cat.”

“No, I got  _ you  _ a cat,” Charlie says. “Who I will, on occasion, hang out with.”

And Zari would think more about that, but there is a cat in her vicinity, and she is so  _ cute  _ and  _ old  _ and  _ cranky _ . “Hi,” Zari says. She approaches with the utmost intent, already in love with those big, green eyes. “Hi, Pearly. You’re so fluffy, aren’t you? You’re just as cute as can be!”

Pearl considers this, possibly resenting the nickname. Zari gently places to fingers upon her head, and she allows it. 

“How did you even know-” Zari gingerly pets Pearl’s head, and notices that she and Charlie have gotten very, very close.

“That you like cats?” Charlie says. “I mean, I assumed. You were one, so I figured there’s a kinship, there. Do you speak her language?”

Her teasing is almost unbearable up close. “You know,” Zari says. “That’s not as funny as you think it is.”

“It’s funny to me,” Charlie says.

“When did you even get the chance to go get her?” Zari says. “How did you find her?”

Charlie grins at her, and then leans in to Zari’s ear. Her lips are a little too close, and Zari gets goosebumps at the idea of Charlie telling her a secret. “Gideon’s a big softy for cats,” Charlie says. “She was so excited.”

“That’s adorable,” Zari says. It’s so precious, it borders on an obscenity. “And Pearl is just- She’s so old! I love her.”

“Old cats need homes, apparently,” Charlie says. “I figured if this lot took you in and they took me in, then Pearl here would be a welcome relief.”

Zari stills in her petting, earning her a yowl of indignation. She’s never really noticed that Charlie has all this heart, just looking for an outlet. She hadn’t bothered to ask. “Thank you,” Zari says. “For my gift.”

Charlie cocks a smile at her. “I owed you one.”

“No, I mean-” Zari finds herself grinning back. “I mean that this is really nice. And you should be- Proud.”

“Please,” Charlie says. “Don’t turn this into a moment. I was just-”

And Zari kisses her. Charlie takes Zari’s shoulder for leverage, leaning fully into it.

Pearl seems to settle between them, fine with the dark space between their chests. She’s probably going to go back to bed.

Zari props her hand on Charlie’s knee, pulling back. “I didn’t get you anything,” Zari says. “I wouldn’t know what to get you. More… silver earrings?”

“That would be-” Charlie still seems dazed. “Um, maybe?”

“I wasn’t thinking about- Uh, kissing you,” Zari says. “I mean, you’re just here, and I figured- It was good?”

“Would you like to try and give me another gift?” Charlie asks. “Should we get Old Pearl settled, first? Gideon’s already got a bed made up for her.”

“Another… gift?” Zari says. “Like what?”

“Well,” Charlie says. “You have to think about what I like.”

“What do you like?” Zari says.

“You,” Charlie says, very softly. “And cats, apparently.”

“I think,” Zari nods. “I think I can work with that.”

Pearl decides now would be the time to get her claws stuck in Zari’s cardigan. So she does.

“Aw, Pearly,” Zari says. “That’s not what sweaters are for.”

Charlie laughs without meaning to. “She’s going to tear up all your clothes,” Charlie says. “We’ll make a right punk of you yet.”

“Oh, don’t start,” Zari teases, like her thumb isn’t rubbing back and forth across Charlie’s knee. 

“Actually, Z,” Charlie says. “I think I need another gift.”

“Do you?” Zari asks.

“Yeah,” Charlie says, and it’s punctuated with another kiss.


End file.
